Slack-cable stop for elevators.



v v PATENTED SEPT, 11., 1906. J. J. WESTBROOKi SLACK CABLE STOP FORELEVATORS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 4. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

[NVENTOR N0- 830,944. 4 PATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906. J. J. WESTBROOK.

SLACK CABLE STOP FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 1906.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATE'NTBD SEPT. 11, 1906.

J. J. WESTBROOK. SLACK CABLE STOP FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 1906,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

[NVENTOR Azfameya 'rnE mmms PETERS cm. WASHINGTON. b. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

SLACK-CABLE STOP FOR ELEVATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1906.

Application filed May 4, 1906. Serial No. 315,197.

To H/ZZ whom it 7nay concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN J. WEs'rBRooK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Danville, in the county of Pittsylvania and State ofVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSlack-Cable Stops for Elevators; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

My invention consist in the novel features hereinafter described,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate oneform in which I have contemplated embodying my invention, and saidinvention is fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 repre-' sents a side elevation of awinding mechanism for elevators embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is asectional view taken transversely of the drum-shaft in rear of theflier-wheel, as indicated by line 2 2 in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation of the mechanism. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4 4 ofFig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is anenlarged detail of the slack-cable-operated lever, the clutch-operatinglever, and the operating-spring for the latter.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and eflicientmechanism for stopping the elevator-operating mechanism in case the caror the counterweight in its descent encounters an obstacle which arrestsit. The result of the stoppage of the car is that the supporting cableor cables will continue to unwind if the operating mechanism be notthrown out of operation, and should the weight of the car overcome theobstruction and fall the shock would in most cases break the cable andcause the car to plunge to the bottom of the shaft.

By my invention I provide a construction by means of which the operatingmechanism will be stopped almost instantly in case the downward movementof the car is arrested or in case for any other reason thesuspendingcable becomes slack, and the mechanism is so constructed thatit can be readily adapted to drums of different diameters or width offace and applied to different types of elevators having a winding-drumwithout altering the main elements of the mechanism, as will hereinaftermore fully appear.

In the drawings I have shown a belt-driven Fig. 2,) mounted on shaft Band engaging a' worm E, (also indicated in Fig. 2 in dotted l1nes,)mounted on the driving-shaft F, which is mounted in suitable bearingsprovided in the casting and is provided with three pulleys F F F Thecentral pulley F is fast on the shaft, and the two other pulleys areloose and are adapted to be driven in opposite directions by belts whichmay be shifted onto the fast pulley to drive the apparatus in eitherdirection.

The beltshipping apparatus comprises a flier-wheel G, mounted loosely onthe drum-shaft B and provided on its outer face with oppositely-disposedstuds (or frictionrolls) g, engaging slots in brackets h h, secured,respectively, to sliding shipper-bars H H. The bar H carries abelt-shipper k for pulley F, and the bar H carries a beltshipper 72,3for pulley F. It will thus be seen that the movement of the flier-wheelin either direction will operate one of the beltshippers and start themechanism in one direction, and the movement of the flier-wheel back tothe position shown in Fig. 1, which I will term median position, willthrow whichever belt was upon the fast pulley back upon its loose pulleyand stop the apparatus. The operation of the flier-wheel also throwsinto and out of operation a brake mechanism to secure a prompt stoppingof the mechanism and prevent it from continuing its operation byinertia. The driving-shaft F is provided with a brake-wheel F, aroundwhich is a brake-band L, operatively connected to the brake-lever M,which is pivoted near one end at m to the casing and is provided at itsopposite or outer end with a weight M, tending to apply the brake.

N is a brake-controlling lever pivoted near its center at n to thecasing C and having its upper end connected by a link n to thebrake-lever M at m and its lower end provided with a friction-rollnwhich engages a cam G, forming part of or connected operatively with theflier-wheel G.- This cam has a recess g, which engages the roll 12 whenthe flier-wheel is in its median position, thus allowing the weight M onbrake: lever M to apply the brake. When the flierwheel is turned ineither direction, the roller 12, rides up a cam-grade, thus lifting thebrakelever M and releasing the brake.

The flier-wheel is provided with a yoke G for guidin a traveling block 9on a threaded portion of the drum-shaft, and upon said threaded portionare clamped the usual automatic stops 9 g for throwing the flier-wheelwhen the elevator-car reaches the top or bottom of the shaft.

The flier-wheel or some part conrocted therewith (in this instance thecam G) is provided with a clutch member, (indicated at g,) and a movableclutch member 9 is arranged adjacent thereto 'and is preferably mountedon a spline, or feather on the shaft B.

0 represents a pivoted clutch-operating lever provided at its upper endwith a yoke 0,

engaging the movable clutch member g and provided adjacent to its lowerend with a spring 0, which tends to throw the movable clutch member intoengagement with the clutch member carried by the flier-wheel. Thisspring is connected to an adjustable screw-hook 0 or other device bymeans of which its tension may be adjusted.

Adjacent to the lower end of the clutch-lever 0, I provide a trip-leverP, pivoted to a stationary part of the apparatus (in this instance thecasingC) and so constructed that the lever O can be moved so as toseparate the clutch members 9 g and locked in that position by thetrip-lever P. To provide for a practically instantaneous disengagementof the parts 0 and P, I prefer to provide one with a concave socket toengage a convex portion of the other, so that when they have been movedslightly out of engagement the pressure of the spring 0 will cause themto separatequickly. In this instance I have shown the lever 0 providedwith an angular projection at its lower end, which carries an adjustablescrew 0 .the head of which is recessed or concave, and the end 1) of thetriplever P is convex or rounded to engage this recess in the screw 0The lever P is preferably formed of castiron and is provided at the endopposite that which engages the clutch-lever with a recess 20 to receivea trip-arm P, which I form, preferably, of wrought-iron and which ismade to conform to the particular winding-drum with which it is to beused. The trip-arm P has a portion 19 which extends across the lowerportion of the face of the drum between the flanges and lies as closelyas possible to the cable-coils thereon as is possible without touchingthem, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

form to suit the particular drum with which it is to be used and thensecured to the triplever.

By reference to Fig. 5 it will be seen that should the cable becomeslack for any reason, as by the arresting of the car in its downwardmovement, the weight of any slack coil will depress the trip-arm P andinstantly disengage the trip-lever P and clutch-operating lever 0, whenthe spring 0 will cause the clutch-lever to throw in the clutch member 9and operate the flier-wheel in the direction in which the drum-shaft ismoving at the time, thus returning the fiier-wheel to median position,and thereby, as previously described, throwing off the driving-belt toits loose pul- 'ley and allowing the brake to be applied, thus almostinstantaneously stopping the mechanism and preventing the unwinding ofthe cable. After the slack-cable stop mechanism has been operated it isnecessary to pull out the lower end of clutch-lever, reverse the travelof the winding mechanism until the slack is taken out of the cable, whenthe tripthe lever P may be placed in engagement with clutch-lever andwill hold it out of operation until the cable again becomes slack.Should the counterweight of the elevator meet any obstruction in itsdescent or should the triparm P through any cause or by accident hecomedisengaged from the clutch-operating lever O, the clutch-lever will bethrown over by spring 0 and operate the belt-shippers, as previouslydescribed, or, in other words, this slack-cable-stop mechanism will stopthe mechanism when the car is moving either up or down should thetrip-arm P be tripped.

While I have shown my invention applied to one form of doublebelt-elevator-winding ,Inechanism, it may also be used in connectionwith other forms than that shown, and it can also be used with singlebelt-winding mechanism and with direct-connected engine-windingmechanisms by simply varying the connections from the flier-wheel whichserve to shut off or disconnect the ower. This invention is alsoapplicable to dlectric elevators, in which case the flier-wheel insteadof being operatively connected to beltshipping mechanism, as hereinshown, is connected with an electric controller for the motor whichactuates the winding-drum.

What I claim, and desire .to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a slack-cablestop for elevator mechanism, the combination with theflier-wheel, a clutch mechanism therefor provided with a a spring formoving said movable memberinto operative position and a trip lever havmga part engaging said clutch-lever, and a part in position to be engagedby a slack portion of the cable, the engaging portions of saidtrip-lever and clutch-lever being the one convex and the other concave,to form a socket to receive said convex part, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a slack-cable stop for elevator mechanisms, the combination withthe flier-wheel, a clutch mechanism therefor provided with a movablemember, a clutch-operating lever connected with said movable clutchmember, a spring for moving said movable member into operative positionand a trip-lever having a part engaging said clutch-lever, and aseparate trip-arm having a portion arranged in position to be engaged bya slack portion of the cable, and rigidly secured to said triplever,substantially as described.

4. In a slack-cable stop for elevator mechanisms, the combination withthe flier-wheel, a clutch mechanism therefor provided with a movablemember, a clutch-operating lever connected with said movable clutchmember, a spring for moving said movable member into operative positionand a trip-lever having a part engaging said clutch-lever and having arecess in its opposite end, a separate trip-arm having a portionconstructed to lie within the flanges of the winding-drum of theelevator mechanism, and having its opposite end secured in the recess insaid trip-lever, substantially as described.

. 5. In a slack-cable stop for elevator mechanism, the combination withthe flier-wheel, a clutch mechanism therefor provided with a movablemember, a clutch-operating lever connected with said movable clutchmember, a spring for moving said movable member into operative positionand a trip-lever having a part engaging said clutch-lever and a part inposition to be engaged by a slack portion of the cable, one of theengaging portions of said trip-lever and clutch-lever being adjustablewith respect to the part to which it is secured, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a slack-cable stopfor elevator mech-' anism, the combination withthe flier-Wheel, a clutch mechanism therefor, a clutch-operating lever,a spring connected therewith for throwing the clutch mechanism intooperative position, said lever being provided with an adjustable screwhaving a concave seat, a pivoted trip-lever having a convex portion forengaging said concave seat to hold the clutch-lever and clutch out ofoperative position, said lever being provided with a recess at its otherend, and a trip-arm having a part engaging said recess and a part bentto extend across the face of the winding-drum of the elevator mechanismand between the flanges thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN J. WESTBROOK. Witnesses:

W. J. WESTBROOK, STANLEY W. ScoTT.

